Generations, Borders, and Illusion
by ascarilenn
Summary: Touhou Seikyougen - The story about the origins of Yukari Yakumo and Maribel Hearn
1. Prologue

Prologue

Matsue, Japan, 1890

A pretty cool mornings in the early of spring, from the western end of the horizon a ship trumpet sounded. It then slowly moved closer toward the dock. A moment later the anchor was lowered along with the crew that ran down from the ship to tie the boat rope. Bustle of passengers who want to get off began to sound, breaking the silence of the dock that morning.

Gangplank was lowered and the passengers began to get off in line one by one from the ship. It was clear that most of the passengers were oriental-looking, but there were four passengers that actually looked different, three of them were men, two boys and an old man while the other one was a middle-aged woman. Their faces looked more like the faces of the Europeans. They probably were immigrants from Western countries who wanted to try their fortune in Japan.  
These four were the last to get off from the ship. Their luggage were quite a lot, about six large suitcases in which one of the suitcase was full of documents. Maybe they were journalists, or writers.

"Japan! Finally we're here!" cried one of the four as he raised his hands to the sunny morning sky after getting off from the ship. This short black-haired young man, whose hair was swept to the left, had dark yellow eyes, and his body was quite tall. He was wearing a long sleeved white shirt with brown vest and a long black cloth pants complete with brown leather shoes. He then closed his eyes, breathed deeply, feeling the cool morning air.

"Shhh! Keep your voice down, Lafka! Help me get this stuff!" said another young man who wore a black shirt and a three-quarter plaid patterned shorts and black leather sandals behind the young man who was screaming. He was carrying two large bags over his shoulders as he walked a little unsteadily down the gangplank. His body looked a bit shorter than the previous young boy, Lafka. However, this young man had a more muscular body, seen from a tight black shirt he wore. He had brown hair which length reached his shoulder and a bit disheveled, his eyes were red, full of spirit.

"Come on, Aldey, let a man express his happiness." said a middle-aged woman who was in front of the man who had shouted, interrupting Aldey's words while chuckling. This woman's body was very beautiful and tall like the daughters of the royal family or aristocratic women, an excellent combination with the pink dress which was worn by her. She had brown hair. Her hair is quite long. It was seen by her hairstyle, the Vortex Bun Braid. She also had light brown eyes.

"Going to Japan is his very first dream, let him enjoy it for a moment, Aldington." said the old man who was walking down the gangplank, approaching them. This old man slowly walked down through the gangplank while playing a wooden stick he carried on his hand. His gray eyes were looking towards the two young men. His hair was a bit grayish, indicating that his age was no longer young, but not too old, so did the mustache and beard. This old man looked very dignified with a white shirt, a black suit, and black long pants. All combined with a white tie worn on his neck.

"... Well, Mr. and Mrs. Vacille. But, I had such difficulty to carry all these stuffs." Said Aldey after a brief pause upon hearing what Mr. and Mrs. Vacille said earlier. He then put his luggage which he had brought down to the ground of the dock near to the ship which they were on earlier. Then he ran up, back on board to take another suitcase that was left on board.

"Ah .. Ahahaha. It is true. Hey Lafka! Help your friend.." said Mr. Vacille, calling Lafka while swinging his cane, looking at Aldey who was apparently being abit distressed while bringing the suitcases.

"Ah! Excuse me, sir Vacille! I will do it!" said Lafka quickly after hearing the call from Mr. Vacille. He opened his eyes which were closed earlier and ran up onto the ship, passing Mr. Vacille who was already in the lower end of the gangplank.

"There you are! Here, help me. You just need to bring two suitcases there, I'll bring the rest" said Aldey when he was approached by Lafka on the boat, pointing to the suitcase which he meant before, which was near the fence of the ship.

"All right. I will immediately execute your order!" said Lafka while giving a salute pose, mimicking a soldier who was saluting his the commander, then walked toward the mentioned suitcases.

"Stop joking ..." said Aldey while lifting the rest of the suitcases and then left while shaking his head. He was then walked off from the ship.

Meanwhile, while Lafka was running toward the suitcases he was supposed to bring, he seemed to be relaxed. He watched for a moment the scenery surrounding the ship, where many of the crew were then going back and forth cleaning the ship before returning to sea. He saw a calm sea, warm sun touched his skin that day. However, he suddenly noticed something quite amazing and strange.

Lafka saw two female figures, standing in the middle of a quiet sea staring at the horizon. Even more amazingly, one of the two women had fox ears and many tails. While the other woman, with long hair, holding an umbrella and was seen in a purple dress by a glimpse.

Lafka became more and more astonished when he saw the two women were slowly disappearing into the ocean through a mysterious black gap which suddenly appeared and swallowed them. Lafka immediately ran to the bow of the boat and tried to find traces of what he saw. However, it's useless, he did not find any.

"Hey Lafkaaaa ~ What are you doing there? Why did it take so long?" a sounding speech of Mrs. Vacille was heard from the dock.

"Ah! Sorry, Mistress! I thought I'd seen the dolphins!" shouted Lafka, answering the mistress.

"The dolphin? Near the dock? Ohohoho, you must be mistaken, Lafka." said Mr. Vacille while chuckling.

"I'll be there!" said Lafka quickly while running, carrying two suitcases that were assigned to him.

In the end, Lafka kept on thinking to himself about what he saw earlier, Japanese mythology creatures? Did they exist? Curiosity in his heart grew stronger as his steps to leave the dock with the other three getting further.

_**"Along with the creation of the Great Hakurei Border, a new Gensokyo was born.**_  
_**Sealed from the outside world which began to forget the beauty of an illusion.**_  
_**At the same time, there came a young man who was the first human to enter Gensokyo from the outside after its birth.**_  
_**Who will become the dearest one for one of its creators... "**_  
Unrecorded History - Hieda no Akyuu

**Generations, Borders, and Illusion.**  
**A fanfic tribute for Maribel Hearn and Yukari Yakumo**

(Sorry if there are mistakes in the grammar and words)


	2. Chapter I Part 1

Chapter I - Welcome to Japan, Welcome to Gensokyo.

(Part 1)

Aldey and Lafka then put the luggage into the horse-drawn carriage which was waiting at the gate of the dock. They picked the suitcases up one by one to the carriage, and then returned to take another suitcase, and back again to the carriage until finally all the suitcases had gone into the carriage. Mr. Vacille then ordered the coachman of the carriage to go to his residence.

Then the horse-drawn carriage containing the luggage began to walk out of the dock, crossing the streets of Matsue. Along with the departure of the carriage, there came another horse-drawn carriage that looked slightly larger than the previous one. Then the carriage stopped in front of the gate of the dock where Lafka and his entourage were.

After stopping, the coachman got off from the carriage and opened the carriage door, asking them to get into the inside of the carriage. Mr. and Mrs. Vacille got into the carriage first, followed by Lafka and Aldey. After they were all inside, the coachman closed the door of the carriage tightly. Mr. Vacille then immediately ordered the coachman to get going. A few moments later the carriage began to move, leaving the dock, entering the streets of Matsue city that still looked a bit empty with only a few people who were on their own activity near the dock, it could be that they were fishermen or dock workers.

Shortly afterward, they entered the center of Matsue city, the buildings were built with an impression of traditional Japan, but were able to mix with the modern culture. A distinctive impression. At this place, a lot of passersby carrying out their own activities began to show up on the street.

Meanwhile, at the moment where Aldey seemed to be having a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Vacille casually, Lafka sat silently and just looking at Matsue city's skyline and scenery through the window of the carriage where he was at that time, thinking about what had previously been seen by his eyes. An event that was illogical. He tried to guess about what he had seen back there by all the knowledge he had already had. He also felt that the mystical aura of the city where he was then was very thick.

Lafka was interested in strange things, especially in mystical and supernatural things. He also had felt that he could see supernatural events since his childhood. But this time he saw an event related to those, clearly and fairly long. Previously he could only feel and see at a glance. He had asked his parents about this ability. However, his parents had passed away before they could explain about the ability he had. All he remembered was when his father said that he was still not mature enough to know about the ability.

Hundreds of thoughts and theories were spinning in his brain. His soul of an author and his curiosity overflowed, until suddenly it all fell apart when Mr. Vacille called his name.

"Lafka?"

Awakened from his train of thoughts, he shifted his gaze from the landscape outside the city towards Mr. Vacille, who sat next to Mrs. Vacille who was in front of him. Lafka remained silent. However, his eyes were clearly answering the call; it's as if his eyes were going to ask about what was the call for.

"Soon, we will arrive at my residence. I'd been noticing you being silent all the time along the road. Why are you not so excited as before?" asked Mr. Vacille while holding up his right index finger and tilting his head a little bit to the left, showing a bit of curiosity.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Vacille and Aldey were silent, waiting for Lafka's answer..

"Ah .. Aaaahh... No, I just feel that the mystical aura in Matsue seemed so thick and .. umm, overwhelming.. Ahahaha.." replied Lafka, scratching his head and chuckled.  
"What is it again this time, Lafka? Don't scare us ..!" said Aldey suddenly with a little panic.

Aldey, although he had a pretty intimidating posture for anyone who saw him, he's still scared when he heard about mystical things, especially when it came from Lafka, his friend whom he himself has already known that his ability was not just a mere ability. He had encountered a ghost before. Yes, a real ghost, it was when Lafka asked him to accompany him to the cemetery near his hometown some time ago. At that time Lafka said that he saw the angel of death visited the graves of the person who had been recently buried for two days. However, in the end he and Lafka actually met the cemetery's guardian ghost. Although it was only a glimpse, but the manifestation of the ghost had gave him trauma of mysical things until now.

"Ohohoho. You're not wrong, Lafka. Your ability does not lie to you. Matsue is located on Shimane Prefecture, which was once the land of the gods." said Mr. Vacille, responding to what Lafka said.

"Eh!? Really!? Why you did not say that before, Mr. Vacille!?" said Aldey quickly as he looked a little surprised.

"Calm down, though Lafka said that Matsue has a strong mystical aura, this land here is the land of the gods, most mythical creatures or so supernatural forces that are here are definitely good rather than bad, Aldington.." said Mrs. Vacille, joining the conversation which was going on with a smile.

"You're still traumatized by the events at that time, eh? Or so it seems.." Lafka said flatly, putting his elbows on his left hand at corner of the carriage window and then put his hand on his chin.

"Of course! I'm actually surprised that you did not feel any fear! It was there and you're screaming with delight..! And wasn't it the cause of the blindness on your left eye!?" replied Aldey quickly.

"... Eheheh. Can't help it, it's the first time I saw a mystical creature which I could only feel and see at a glance before, and in fact, when we are traveling, I see strange things too, but I don't tell it to you, because I know you'd be scared.. And again, this eye is blind indeed, but for some reason I can see something with this eye, such as the boundaries between dimensions.." said Lafka while smiling lightly to Aldey. He then directed his gaze back out to the scenery in the outside of the carriage window.

"You know, even the city was in panic that time.. Just imagine it! There were other people besides us who saw it! Even your parents went panic when knowing that your injured eyes changed its color into purple!" added Aldey.

"That's what makes it even cooler! Apparently that proved that ghost exists and not just a hallucination of our mind! And the eye will only change its colour when I use it! Dad and Mom have known about this shortly after the color of my left eye went back to normal!" replied Lafka while smiling happily with his attention that was still directed to the scenery of the city outside the carriage.

"You're a... I do not know what's on your mind. But please stop this discussion of mystical things!" said Aldey looking at everyone on the carriage with a pleading look.  
All of them smiled then chuckled, turning their gaze away from Aldey.

"Hey..!" shouted Aldey.

And their short trip continued..

About 15 minutes later ...  
The carriage rode by Lafka slowly began to stop.  
"Ah! Are we there yet?" said Lafka spontaneously after knowing that the carriage had completely stopped.  
The carriage stopped at a road on the outskirts of a wide river, where on the left side of the carriage there was quite a big house. The house had a typical architecture of ancient Japan, there was also a garden in it. This was where Vacille family residence was located, which would take Lafka and Aldey in while they were in their duties.

"Yes, we're here, Lafka." replied Mrs. Vacille while slightly tidying her dress and preparing to get off from the carriage.

The coachman of the carriage they were traveling with quickly went off from the wheel and then opened the carriage door, asking the passengers to get off.

"All right, let's go down and see the new home for both of you.." said Mr. Vacille, rising from his seat and got off from the carriage accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Vacille.  
Aldey got off first after Mr. and Mrs. Vacille, Lafka got off last. Soon after he had come down from the carriage; his eyes were amazed with a building that is in front of his eyes. A majestic castle which was quite tall and sturdy stood in the edge of his vision. Lafka then immediately asked about the castle to Mr. Vacille.

"Sir, sir! What castle is it? It's beautiful!" asked Lafka eagerly.

"Oh.. You're quick to capture the scenery around, Lafka. That Castle is called Matsue Castle. Matsue castle is the second-largest, third highest and the sixth oldest of the twelve remaining ancient castle in all of Japan. Its nickname is "Black Castle". Built in 1607 and completed in 1611. It was formerly used as a branch of the Tokugawa clan." replied Mr. Vacille while approaching the carriage coachman.

"Umm, sir, then what about the building in the... front of it? A temple..?" said Lafka with a little hesitation.

"Hey, stop asking, Lafka! We better go get our stuffs." Aldey interrupted Lafka while holding Lafka's shoulder.

"It's okay, it's okay.. the luggage have been transported inside by the servants." replied Mr. Vacille, then he turned away from the carriage coachman, intended to answer Lafka's question.

"It's Fumon-in temple. I do not know much about Fumon-in but there is a place to hold a typical Japanese tea ceremony there." Mr. Vacille continued his words.  
"Wow! Well, after I'm done with the clean up I'll be getting there!" said Lafka with enthusiasm.

"Ahaha .. You're free to go anywhere, but remember, next month you will begin teaching at the Shimane Prefecture High School together with Aldey. Isn't the purpose of you two coming to Japan to teach literature and be my assistant?" said Mr. Vacille.

"Yes, sir!"

"Well okay, let's go.." said mistress Vacille after all of the conversation had finished.

"Ah, but before I would like to express my gratitude toward Mr. and Mrs. Vacille who mind taking the time to pick us up and even go sailing up here with us when you could have just waited at the dock on the day of our arrival." Said Lafka as he bowed down.  
Hearing that, Mr. and Mrs. Vacille just smiled.

In the afternoon, Lafka decided to go look around Matsue Castle and Fumon-in temple. From the Vacille residence, he walked until he finally reached the front of the Fumon-in temple, but then he decided to look around at Matsue Castle first.

Arriving in front of Matsue Castle, Lafka quickly observed the scenery. There were gardens around the castle consisted of a few trees and bamboo which was planted neatly. Behind the castle, he saw a pond, but not too clear. At a first glance, this castle looked like it had five floors. Lafka actually wanted to go inside the castle, but he didn't do it because he also had to return before night, coupled with his another intention to go to Fumon-in temple, which he had not visited.

Lafka finally went back to the Fumon-in temple. However, this time he saw some odd occurence on his way. The street that was crowded by people slowly started to become silent, and a thick fog appeared suddenly. Lafka didn't care about it, though. He continued to walk until all of a sudden he saw a figure that is similar to what he saw on the dock the first time he came, in front of the temple gate. Only this time, he only saw a figure of woman with an umbrella. The many-tailed and fox-eared woman was not seen anywhere near the temple.

Lafka tried to approach the figure slowly. But suddenly the figure spoke quite loudly.

"Suika? How is it? Is there any youkais who is interested to come along?"

Lafka was surprised to hear such words. Youkais? Those strange and supernatural creatures from Japanese mythology? What does this mean? Lafka sped up his steps, approaching the figure of the woman with an umbrella. However, the figure noticed Lafka's presence.

"Suika! That's enough for today, it looks like there are people who are aware of our presence!" said the figure.

"Eh? Are you sure, Yukari?" suddenly the mist that surrounds the temple area spoke. Lafka became more surprised and suddenly felt pain in his left eye.

"What? There are boundaries of dimension here!?" said Lafka silently, covering his left eye.

"Suika! Hurry up!" said the woman with umbrella again.

"Alright! Alright!" said the fog which suddenly clumped together and transformed into the figure of a little girl with two long horns on his head that appeared right in front of Lafka.

"Ah ..!" said Lafka and little girl together.

"Crap, I showed up at the wrong place!" said the girl and then she ran toward the woman with umbrella who was then inside the temple area.  
"Open the gap, he's chasing me!" cried the little girl.

"Give me a break! You're an oni! Why are you being the one chased!?" replied the woman with umbrella while waving her hand and created a large black gap with ribbons on both ends floating above the ground the temple.

Lafka was surprised to hear what the figure of woman with umbrella said. Oni? Japanese Devil? Instantly, Lafka stopped his steps right in front of the temple gate. The little girl then ran into the gap created by the woman with umbrella before and gone. Lafka became even more surprised. In the midst of his astonishment, the woman suddenly disappeared from the front of him.

Lafka looked around with a feeling of panic and wonder that jumbled as one. Suddenly he felt a presence of someone behind him. Just at the moment when he was about to turn his body, a whisper reached his ears.

"Sweet dreams, Mr. Human~"  
Lafka suddenly felt his consciousness began to disappear. Everything became dark...

(Sorry if there are mistakes in the grammar and words)


	3. Chapter I Part 2

(Part 2)

Lafka lost consciousness and then fell asleep right in front of the temple. However, the woman with the umbrella, Yukari, who caused that didn't just leave him. Yukari brought up the gap again, this time right under the body of Lafka. Lafka then fell into the gap. She then re-created another gap in the air and entered it. She then closed the gaps that had been made and Lafka suddenly appeared from the other gap, followed by Yukari who emerged through a gap near the gap where Lafka appeared, in one of the buildings inside the temple area.

The building which they appeared in was not far from the main temple building. The building was located just near and behind the main building the temple. The building had a modern architecture mixed with a bit of Japanese culture, it was seen from the roof and the doors which were still a sliding door made of paper and wood, as well as the windows. Even so, the fusion of the architecture was very harmonic. Yukari then leaned Lafka's body close to the door of the building where both of them appeared.

"Well, I hope that the monks or the inhabitants of this temple can found him asleep here." Said Yukari as she slowly disappeared into the gap that appeared behind her.

Lafka was alone then, sleeping in a building in the area of Fumon-In Temple. Time passed, Lafka's intention to return before sunset in was not fulfilled.

A few moments later ..  
The door where Lafka leaned suddenly shifted, and a girl in a _miko_ outfit appeared, with a white top and red skirt which length reached to the ankles of the wearer. Her hair was black and long, with two symmetrical knots on the front and decorated with a red ribbon that is large enough in the back of her head. Her eyes were brown with a body that is not so high. It seemed that this girl was a little younger than Lafka.

Along with that, the body of Lafka fell into the room. The girl was shocked to see that Lafka suddenly fell into the room. The girl immediately stepped back from Lafka. She paused and seemed slightly confused, looking at Lafka. She observed the Lafka's fallen body. Maybe she wondered why all of a sudden there were people sleeping in the temple at the time of the evening, which were the start of the temple area closing for public.

Lafka was then awakened by a crash that occurred when he fell. Slowly he opened his eyes.

"Er .. Where is this..?" he murmured as he tried to stand. In a trance, he saw the situation around.

"... Why did I get here?" he thought, knowing that he was then in a room in the temple area. Lafka then began to recall the previous events that happened while muttering quite loudly. He didn't realize that he muttered using the language of his homeland. Lafka then started running out of room.

Meanwhile, the girl continued to observe Lafka. She looked doubtful. Actually she wanted to say something but that intention was stopped when she heard Lafka spoke in a foreign language which she didn't understand. Moreover, the appearance of Lafka which really looked like a foreigner who came from outside Japan had made her will dropped .

Outside the room, Lafka observed the scenery around which had already turned dark.

"Oh man! It's already this late!" he said, still using the language of his homeland. He then turned around quickly, intended to leave the place. At the same time, his gaze met with the gaze of the girl.

"Ah! .." said the girl quickly.

"Umm .. Excuse me .. umm .. " continued the girl with confusion.

Seeing the girl who looks confused and the _miko_ outfits she wore, Lafka then realized something. He then immediately bowed and apologized.

"Forgive me! I do not mean todisturb you! I do not know why I am suddenly here!" he said that loudly using Japanese language.

The girl was shocked.

"You ... you can speak Japanese, sir?" asked the girl.

Lafka then tilted his head while he was still bowing.

"Eh?" said Lafka.

They were both silent for a moment. Staring at each other with a sense of wonder and curiosity. After a while, the girl broke the silence between them.

"T-Then, please sit down first, sir!" said the girl as she walked to take a sitting pillow and put it on front of the table in the middle of the room.

"Ah? Eh? All right.." Lafka just nodded and sat down in front of the table. Followed by the girl sitting across from him.

"So, why can you be here, even though the temple area is closed during the night?" said the girl shortly after she sat down. A little bit of prejudice stroke her mind.  
"Hmm, I do not really remember why I could fall asleep there.." Lafka replied, holding his chin.

The girl, of course, became confused upon hearing the Lafka's answer. She was thinking whether Lafka was drunk, but she did not smell the odor of liquor or _sake_ from Lafka. She finally decided to ask Lafka again.

"Are you sure you do not remember anything? You are not drunk, aren't you, Sir?" asked the girl as she crossed her arms.

"Oh .. No, Miss. I was not, and I am not drunk and I'm sure of it." said Lafka steadily.

"Usually the drunks say that as well, Sir..." replied the girl, shaking his head.

"Err.." Lafka was not able to reply the girl's speech.

"Now what? He thinks I'm drunk, when in fact I really do not remember anything!" said Lafka in his heart, thinking how to convince the girl so that she would believe his explanation.

"Huff .. Then how about this, young lady. On the tatami inside this room there are lines on the edge of its side isn't it?" said Lafka.

"And you'll try to walk to follow those lines?" replied the girl. Lafka nodded his head.

"Hmm.. Very well, then. Please do it, Sir." continued the girl.

Lafka stood up and went to walked following the lines that existed at the edge of the tatami. Of course, Lafka managed to do it and the girl was easily convinced that he was not drunk by that action. However, Lafka's reason which said that he didn't remember anything still left some doubts in her heart. She then invited Lafka to sit back and continued the questioning.

"Hmmm.." Lafka and the girl murmured simultaneously. Thinking about the reasons behind the previous events, where Lafka were asleep and didn't remember anything about why it could happen.

"How should it put it.. If I try to remember it, I can only remember that, before, I was walking down from Matsue Castle to go here.. " said Lafka who also crossed his arms as he thought about the events before.

"Is that all?" said the girl.

"Er.. Then, after arriving at the front of the temple, suddenly fog .. and .. Ah! Aaaaaah!" Lafka tried to explain, but it seemed like he suddenly remembered something.  
"W-what is it, Sir?" said the girl with surprise.

"I forgot I had to go home! Excuse me, Miss! But honestly I did not mean to disturb anything here! Excuse me!" said Lafka. Then he stood up, bowed and then ran out of the room, leaving the girl, leaving the Fumon-in temple.

"W-wait, Sir!" cried the girl as she prevented Lafka for running ou of the room. Unfortunately, her voice was unable to make Lafka stopped his run. The girl then stood up and looked at the scenery that surrounded the room; inspected the items in it, and also the state of the temple area outside the room.  
The state of the temple at that time was really quiet, the monks were worshiping at the the main building of the shrine so that all the activity was centered there. The girl then realized maybe this was why Lafka could suddenly be in place without being noticed.

"No wonder .. I hope that Sir were just accidentally fallen asleep here while visiting in the afternoon and no one woke him up.." said the girl as she sighed with a slight smile.

Meanwhile, Lafka sprinted at a full strength to return to the Vacille residence. He remembered that this evening Mr. and Mrs. Vacille would go somewhere. He ran faster and faster as he passed down a descending street.

"Uoooooohhh!" He shouted as he spurred his fast pace.

Lafka then came to an intersection in the road which was flat, no longer descending. He paused, catching his breath while panting, and then continued to run.  
"Hope it is still the time!" he thought as he continued his run.

"Hold on my feet!" said Lafka encouraging his own self.

About 15 minutes later, Lafka had reached the last intersection before arriving at the Vacille residence. From a distance he could see the bridge over the river that flowed right in front of the Vacille residence. He only needed took the turn to the right from the place where he was then and about a few meters after the turn he would arrive at the destination. His breathing was a bit chaotic, but Lafka kept trying to run.

He was then at the last turn at the intersection. He saw there was a horse-drawn carriage in front of the family residence Vacille.  
"Oh, they're about go! I have to hurry!" he thought.

However, he suddenly felt something. He felt a mystical aura from the intersection that he had just passed. Because of this, Lafka slowed his run unconsciously even though his destination was only a few steps away. He then turned his run toward the intersection.

At first glance, illuminated by light from street lamps, Lafka saw something that he saw on the dock in the morning when he arrived in Matsue, again. This time he saw it completely. Figure of a woman with an umbrella together with a fox-eared woman figure who had a lot of tails, flashed before his eyes in a split second before disappearing in the road that is not illuminated by the street lights, into a gap that floated just above the road.

Immediately, Lafka went to the street where he saw those figures. The result was the same as when he tried to find them in the dock, no traces were left behind. Lafka then examined the scenery around. He looked up, down, in all directions around the site for a while until finally he realized that the horse-drawn carriage which was on the front of the Vacille residence had gone.

Lafka then ran at full speed with his remaining energy to the Vacille residence. When he got there he found a piece of paper taped to the front door addressed for him.

_ "To Lafka. Mr. and Mrs. Vacille had already left for Kyoto. They will be there for about nine days. I went to buy food for you. The house keys are with me. So, when you're reading this it means if you want to get into the house you have to wait till I get home. It's your fault for coming home late. "_  
-Aldington

Lafka then sighed after reading the writing on the paper and then decided to sit near the door as he rested after the fatigue of the run he had done earlier. He straightened his legs and massaged his shoulder. Then he leaned his body against the wall near the door and looked at the sights around. He didn't mind the cold weather because he was already accustomed to it.

He tried to remember about what exactly had happened when he was on his way to the Fumon-in temple until finally he suddenly woke up inside the temple and met a _miko_ there. He vaguely remembered about what he saw before all of that happened. He only was reminded of a little girl and a woman with an umbrella who disappeared into a gap. However, the memory of these events was still vague. Lafka then tried to remember it seriously.

"I wish I knew where they went beyond that gap.." he murmured as he touched his forehead.

In the end, he actually ended up sleeping at the place where he sat in just minutes after he tried to remember about what happened. And while being asleep, all of a sudden a light came from out his body. The light then bolted into the night sky, leaving Lafka's body, heading to the east and disappeared.

Shortly after the departure of the light, a gap appeared right in front of the Lafka and then came the two women from the gap. These women were the figures that Lafka saw at the dock in the morning when he arrived.

A blond woman, wearing a long purple dress and carrying an umbrella, similar to a woman who Lafka saw at the temple before. While the other woman was also blond, but her hair was shorter and wearing some kind of traditional Japanese clothing with a purple and white color. This woman has many big tails and fox ears which were hidden under her hat.

They both then looked toward the sky where the light disappeared.

"Did you see the light before, Ran?" asked the woman with the umbrella to the fox-eared woman.

"Yes, I saw it, Yukari-sama."answered the fox-eared woman, Ran.

"That was the beginning of his power awakening.." said the woman with the umbrella, Yukari.

"That means, that light had just went to—" Ran said with a serious gaze, but was interrupted by Yukari.

"Yes, to Gensokyo at this era." Said Yukari as she walked up to Lafka.

After she was near Lafka, Yukari then turned around and looked toward the night sky, and said something toward Ran..

"This is where my story begins ..."

(Sorry if there are mistakes in the grammar and words)


	4. Chapter I Part 3

Meanwhile, at noon in a shrine somewhere, a light which came out from Lafka's body suddenly appeared from the sky and immediately hit the ground in the courtyard of the shrine. The light hit the ground so hard that it left marks like a hole in the vicinity. Dust and dirt were flying in all directions.

Not long after the flying dust and soil began to decrease, a body that was supposed to be asleep in front of a house waiting for the arrival of his friend who was going somewhere was seen at the place where the light fell. The body of a young man that was impossible to be there by itself.

Yes, that body was the body of Lafka. It was Lafka itself. Asleep in his deep slumber without injury even though his body had just hit the land so hard from the sky. It seemed that he did not realize what had just happened, or even what had just happened there had no effect on him that was still asleep in the dark.

In the distance, there was a girl who was wearing a _miko_ outfit walked towards Lafka's body. This girl, somehow, in a glance, she looked like the girl whom Lafka had met before at Fumon-in. But this time she had longer hair and wore the _miko_ clothing that was a bit open at the arms, armpits, and between her waist.

Beneath the _miko_ outfit, it seemed that she also wore a black skintight leotard that covered her body to her waist. Her breasts and her thighs could be seen from aside, through the gap between her clothes. She was not wearing a skirt, but a red _hakama_. She also wore a sort of extra sleeves around her elbow with a ribbon tied around the end of the sleeves near the elbow and a sort of black combat boots. Maybe people would wonder, whether this girl was a _miko_ or not from her appearance.  
After reaching the place where Lafka fell, the girl observed and tried to find out what had just fallen in the courtyard of her shrine. She then was surprised when she realized that there was a young man's body lying there. Immediately, she approached the body and tried to wake him up.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

"Hey!? Can you hear me!?"

Said the girl while shaking Lafka's body slowly. For a moment the girl examined the body. She was trying to find whether the body had any injuries or not. However, she was actually surprised when she found there were no injuries on the body. She then observed the situation around the place of the fall. She saw the damage that was caused by the fall and wondered. With damage like this, how could this young man's body had no injuries at all?

The girl then tried to woke Lafka up again. This time she shook Lafka's body harder, knowing that there were no injuries on Lafka's and concluded that he had only fainted. The girl continued to do it so many times but Lafka was still unconscious.

Finally, the girl gave up and decided to bring Lafka's body to the shrine. She then called someone.

"Genjii! Genjii ~! Please come here." cried the girl.

Then a turtle which was large enough to be climbed by two people on it flew and approached the girl from the back of the temple. It appeared that a few drops of water were dripping off from his body.

The turtle color was green-gray and had a short gray beard on his chin. His skin was getting a bit saggy and wrinkled. It seemed like this turtles had lived for over than hundreds years old, beyond the age of normal turtles in general.

"What is it, Miss?" said the turtle as he hovered near the girl.

"Take this man into the shrine."

"Understood." replied the turtle as he landed on the shrine's courtyard.

The girl then lifted Lafka's body and put him in the back of the turtle.

"Okay, take him now." said the girl as she glanced around once more.

"Actually .. what has just happened, Miss?" said the turtle, Genjii, to the girl as he gradually floated in the air, until he was at the same height as the girl's shoulder.  
"I do not know .. suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and all of this happened." replied the girl, pointing to the scenery of chaos caused by previous events.  
"And this young man?" Genjii asked again as he turned his head slightly backward, toward his back.

"It seems that it was him who caused the explosion, my guess is that he was slammed from somewhere, like a shooting star ... maybe."

"Surprisingly, he was not hurt at all." replied the girl, scratching her head.

"Hmm .." Genjii murmured thoughtfully.

"Ah well, we better take him to the shrine first, go, go, Genjii. Be careful, lest he fall." replied the girl while patting Genjii's head softly and led him into the temple. Genjii who was flying just nodded and followed the girl into the shrine.

Inside the temple, Lafka then was laid on the _futon_ in the living room of the shrine where it seemed that the girl mostly spent her time here. Accompanied by Genjii near the door leading to the outside of the shrine, she tried to woke Lafka up once more.

However, the result remained the same, Lafka was still unconscious. In the end, the girl decided to pause and thought about something.

"Was this person a youkai victim?" she thought.

"But .. What kind of youkai? "

"Miss, why don't you just use soul purification ritual to wake him up?" said Genjii suddenly.

"Judging from the situation, it was unlikely that he'd just fainted and slammed to the ground just like that, there must be some sort of power that made him get involved in this or maybe .. victimized in the previous event." continued Genjii.

"Hmm .. Are you sure?" asked the girl.

"Miss, there's no harm in trying, right?" replied Genjii.

"Hmm .." the girl mumbled and walked out of the room.

"I'll get the equipment." she said.

Not long after that, the girl had been ready with the equipment. Then she tried to wake Lafka up by using some sort of ritual. The girl put a talisman inscribed with a spell on it in three places of Lafka's body, on his forehead, on his stomach, and on his feet.

The girl then began to recite the some spells, the talismans which had been put were shining brightly. But suddenly the girl was surprised by something. She felt a power flowing from Lafka's body. A very powerful one. The girl immediately stopped and shocked.

"What was that?" she told herself.

She the recited the spell once again. But, the talismans suddenly were burned. The girl was surprised again. Lafka then opened his eyes suddenly. Along with that the girl felt the immense power flowed from Lafka's body for the second time. In a trance, Lafka then woke up from his sleeping position and then looked at the girl.  
The girl quickly saw Lafka's left eye which was glowing and had already changed its color to purple. The girls realized that the power she was feeling was from Lafka's eye. She then tried to call Lafka.

"Hey .. Can you hear me? Get a grip of yourself! "

Hearing the girl's call, Lafka regained his consciousness and his left eye returned to normal. Lafka then found himself in front of a girl who looked like a girl he met earlier at Fumon-in.

"Ah .. you?" he said as he rubbed his eyes slowly.

"Wait ... why are you here!?" he said suddenly.

"I should be the one asking that! Who are you? And why did you appear suddenly in the courtyard of the shrine!?" replied the girl loudly.

Lafka was shocked and and became silent. He saw now that he was in an unfamiliar room.

"What is it this time? What happened?" he thought.

He looked around, seeing a far different place from where he remembered before closing his eyes waiting for Aldey to come home. He then sat silently staring at the girl.

"Where ..am I?" said Lafka.

"Eh?" said the girl.

"What happened to me? Why did I get here?" asked Lafka with great confusion.

"I do not know." replied the girl with a flat stare.

Lafka then became silent again, staring at the girl with full of confusion.

"..You suddenly fell in the courtyard of the shrine, and you were unconscious. I really do not know why it happened." continued the girl.

Lafka then realized that the girl in front of him was not the girl that he thought. He then slowly bowed and apologized.

"Forgive me, my name is Lafka. I do not know what happened to me and I am truly sorry." he said.

The girls just sighed.

"Where are you from?" asked the girl.

"Matsue." replied Lafka.

"Matsue? Where is it? "asked the girl.

"Huh?" said Lafka with a surprised look.

Then they both fell into a silence as they looked at each other in surprise.

"What are you looking at?" asked the girl.

"A-ah .. N-no!" replied Lafka abruptly.

"Genjii. Do you know where Matsue is?" asked the girl.

Genji then stepped into the room while answering question of the girl.

"Matsue .. That place is located in the outside world, the great land of the gods. I have heard many stories and legends regarding that place when I was young, long before this place exists." he said.

Lafka was surprised to see Genjii. A turtle which could talk?

"Wait .. so this guy came from the outside world!?" said the girl loudly.

"I think so. Sir, did you come from Matsue?" said Genjii to Lafka as he continued walking toward Lafka.

"Y-yes .." replied Lafka with a little nervous.

"Ahaha .. you do not need to fear me, I am just plain old turtle.. " said Genjii.

"Oh, could it be that there are no talking turtles in Matsue?" continued Genjii with a chuckle.

Lafka shook his head.

"No. .. absolutely none. Mr. Turtle, where am I actually?" asked Lafka.

"You are now in the land of illusion. Where all illusion gather." he said.

"Land of illusion, what do you mean, Mr. Turtle?" said Lafka.

"Ah, my name is Genjii. You could say that you're now in another world, a world far different from the world which you come from." said Genji.  
The girl sighed again.

"Here is where all the magical power gather, all illusion, all that might not make sense to your world. And where we are, this shrine, is the boundary that separates it from your world." said the girl.

"I could feel a strange power from your body; it might be one of the reason that brings you here for whatever reason. Although lately, there are many same events occur, but only this time there is a human who can come in from the outside. But thankfully, seeing your reaction, you seem fine although you still seem confused." replied the girl, leaning against the wall near Lafka.

"I am Hakurei Miko, and you're now in Gensokyo. Welcome." she said flatly.

==========Chapter I==========

(Sorry if there are mistakes in the grammar and words)


	5. Chapter II Part 1

Chapter II – He Who Was the First

"Gensokyo?" asked Lafka as his gaze slowly began to be filled with a mix of confusion and curiosity. He furrowed his brow and waiting silently for the girl, Hakurei Miko to continue her explanation.

"Yes, Gensokyo. Like I said before..You should try to see it." said the girl. Then, she stood up and walked to the door that was near to Lafka and opened it.

"Now try to go outside. You just need to take a turn to the left at the end of this hallway and you will arrive at the front of this temple. See Gensokyo." said the girl.

Lafka, driven by curiosity, stood up and ran out of the room toward the front of the temple. Arriving in front of the temple, he saw a place that is completely different from his world. He saw a place with a very powerful mystical force. He felt as if the power was pulling him in to enter the world. The world that he could not explain with words. His eyes were looking the scenery around. Blue sky, beautiful nature, but still retained a strong mysterious feel to him.

Lafka then walked toward the gate of the temple, trying to get a clearer view of the places he wanted to see. He had seen the place where he fell, and the damage caused by it and then felt guilty about it. However, he still continued on. His curiosity seemed to have overcome his guilt.

Near the _torii_, or commonly called as the gate of the temple, he found a scene that much more amazing. A view from the top of the mountain where the temple was located which included almost all of Gensokyo. Once again from corner to corner, edge to edge, his eyes were trying to record what he saw clearly.

He felt a strong supernatural aura. But this did not make him afraid, instead, he decided to get back to Hakurei Miko and ask her to guide him to explore the world which he just visited for the first time without thinking anymore, ignoring something that was usually thought by many people when they were lost in place they did not know, which was finding a way to go back home. He simply turned around and ran back toward the temple.

As he ran, Lafka ran across an _hokora_ located just a few steps from where he fell, and he stopped abruptly. He observed the _hokora_ seriously. He felt that there was something in the _hokora_.

"What is this…? What a strong aura of hatred..." Lafka then try to touch it. In a glance, a nearly transparent black smoke appeared and emerged from the_ hokora_ but Lafka seemed unaware of it.

"...Who is it?" Lafka felt something calling him from within the _hokora_. An image of a long green-haired woman appeared suddenly in Lafka's mind, reaching out her hand as she called his name.

The black smoke which appeared before slowly began to encircle Lafka's hands, trying to reach his hand which was going to touch the _hokora_ so that his hands could reach it faster. But..

**"Don't touch that hokora!"**

Suddenly Hakurei Miko shouted from the front of the temple. Of course, Lafka was surprised to hear the shout and immediately pulled his hand that was about to touch hokora, accompanied by the dissipation of the black smoke into the air. He then ran directly to Hakurei Miko while stealing a glance at the _hokora_ which he wanted to touch before.

"...Mima, huh?" he thought as he walked away toward Hakurei Miko.

"You're…okay, right? Do you feel something strange?" asked Hakurei Miko to Lafka soon after he had arrived in front of her. Lafka immediately realized that there was something strange in the _hokora_ upon hearing the question of Hakurei Miko.

"That hokora... is there someone in there?" asked Lafka with his clear eyes staring at Hakurei Miko.

"Indeed, something is sealed within that hokora.. But, I do not know.. does she still deserves to be called.. 'Someone'.." Hakurei Miko replied with a sad look on her face. She then looked toward the _hokora_ with a wistful gaze.

"I see.. So was that the source of the aura of hatred that I felt from before?" said Lafka while holding his chin. Hakurei Miko looked a little surprised after what Lafka said. However, it only lasted for a short time and eventually Hakurei Miko reminded Lafka again about the danger that was sealed inside the hokora.

"Come on, that hokora is dangerous, there is a very powerful evil spirit sealed inside. Once you touch it you probably will also be consumed by the darkness that is owned by what was sealed inside. Never approach it again." she said as she stepped through Lafka while slightly bowing her head.

"I guess this hokora is not supposed to be put here .." continued Hakurei Miko while walking toward the _hokora_ and scratched her head. Lafka was in silence as he stared at Hakurei Miko while digesting the warning given by the Hakurei Miko in his mind and then decided to forget about the hokora problem that had just happened.

He was thinking about his original intention to ask Hakurei Miko for guiding him around Gensokyo and showing its beauty. However, there was a little doubt in his heart. Would Hakurei Miko accept the request of a man who suddenly appeared and damaged the yard of her shrine?

"What are you looking at me?" asked Hakurei Miko to Lafka as soon as she realized that he was staring at her.

"Umm, can I ask you a favor?" asked Lafka with a little hesitation.

"... Hm? As long as I can do it, why not? Do you want to know about how to get back to your world? If it is the favor that you want to ask, I could-" said Hakurei Miko,

"Tell me." said Lafka.

"Huh?" said Hakurei Miko.

"Tell me about this world! Show me what mystery is stored in this world! Gensokyo!" he said that with enthusiasm.

"Eeeh? Are you serious?" said Hakurei Miko with a lot of astonishment in her mind.

"...So you can't? I knew it.." said Lafka sluggishly and then sat in the balcony of the temple, looking up at the sky.

"No, not that... I can guide you .. But, don't you want to go back to your world? After seeing Gensokyo I'm sure that you can feel the mystical power of it, and you also must have known, from your ability, that it will be difficult for people or human from the outside world to survive here." Said Hakurei Miko, explaining about what caused her astonishment while walking around and swinging her hand.

Lafka then paused and stared at the sky.

"Hey, hey .. Lafka?" said Hakurei Miko.

"Back to Matsue, huh..?" said Lafka in his heart. He thought of his friend, Aldey, which probably would be worried if he did not return immediately.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" asked Hakurei Miko. However, Lafka ignored the question and continued to think, immersed in his thought and consideration to return or to remain in Gensokyo, even though it's only a brief stay.

"But.. I'm still curious about this world..." he said to himself. He swung both of his legs up and down as he sat, staring at the sky of Gensokyo. The sky was full of mysterious clouds and supernatural trajectories which contained a lot of mystical power, as it was seen by his left eye.

"Ah.. my eye is reacting again.. Hahaha. I guess I can see it.." he mumbled as he covered his left eye with his left hand.

"Helloooo ~? Mr. Lafka? Do you hear me?" asked Hakurei Miko with a voice louder than before.

Lafka then ended all of his thoughts immediately after hearing Hakurei Miko's word. However, despite that, it seemed Lafka had already decided about what he wanted to do.

"Ah, Miss Miko .." he said as he turned his gaze to the Hakurei Miko with a slightly vacant expression. He looked like a man who had thought of something very serious yet remain unfocused. His left hand which covered his left eye was lowered as his eyes met the eyes of Hakurei Miko.

"Finally! How many times do I have to call for you to come out from your daydream?" said Hakurei Miko with a little of annoyance. She then put her hands on her waist as she walked toward Lafka.

"So, as I said before .. I can guide you .. But, don't you want to go back to your world? " asked Hakurei Miko.

"What's more.. This is the first time for people from outside to enter Gensokyo, I'm afraid you will not be able to survive here with your abilities as a human, I'm afraid you cannot defend yourself against Youkai. You know, Gensokyo is big, wide, and vast. And, to know about everything in here, you have to stay for a long time.. or should I say, you need to reside here."

"So? Do you still want to do this?" asked Hakurei Miko with a look that still looked annoyed, but it felt a little serious.

Lafka smiled casually.

"But.. There are also humans who live here, right? I noticed that there was a village full of people not far from here before.. and aren't you a human as well, Miss Miko?" he asked.

"There are some but they are already familiar with the consequences of living here and the youkai threats. Oh yeah, you don't need to speak formally with me.. take it easy." said Hakurei Miko.

"Umm .. All right .. "

"But how do they defend themselves from the youkai attack?" asked Lafka again as he stood up from his seat.

"... Err, some of them are able to fight youkai and there is also a shrine that protects them every time when the youkai attack." Hakurei Miko went on to explain with ease.

"That means... uh, you're also one of the residents of the shrine, and that means .. You could fight the youkai ? No wonder.." asked Lafka.

"What are you talking about, of course I could, I was the only shrine maiden here, and-"

Lafka then smiled again, this time his smile was more radiant than ever. His eyes were filled with hope.

"Ah.. I said too much.." said Hakurei Miko to herself after realizing what was hidden in Lafka's expression.

"Wait, wait! Do you seriously want to know about this world? I remind you once again, this world is not like your world, you know? You could be attacked at any time by the youkai!" said Hakurei Miko quickly and nervously.

"If the guide is someone who is strong against youkai, I guess it does not matter.." Lafka replied with a grin.

"Ah, damn.." Hakurei Miko mumbled softly, realizing that she had lost in the conversation, she realized that she could not help it now, she had to accompany Lafka exploring Gensokyo.

"B-b-but.." she said softly.

Lafka then held up a finger of his right hand and moved it upwards, towards the sky, stopping the miko's words.

"Tell me about Gensokyo. Regarding the matter of finding a way home, I guess I've already found it." said Lafka.

"Wait.. you said you have already found it? How can that be?" said Hakurei Miko quickly and immediately.

"Miss Miko, you said that you know about the power which is stored in my eyes, didn't you?" said Lafka while pointing his left eye with his left hand.

"This eye is able to see the mystical boundaries between dimensions. This eye is able to detect various supernatural objects wherever I am. I think you understand what I mean, right?"

Hakurei Miko nodded.

"Yes.. The first time you were unconscious, the power was coming up with uncontrollable pressure, the feel of your power is similar to someone I know here.."

"Ah? There's someone here who has the same power as me?" said Lafka with pleasure.

"...But its strength is much stronger.. It would be better if you don't meet her, she's a youkai.. and also one of the strongest of all youkai in Gensokyo. Enough of that, just show me where is the way home that you've found." said Hakurei Miko with a bit threatening glare.  
"...Well.." said Lafka a little disappointed.

Genjii then came and joined them from the shrine.

"Genjii?" said Hakurei Miko.

"Ah.. I was listening from the inside, and it seems like this conversation has become to interesting, so I decide to come out and join you.." he said.

"You! Do not eavesdrop on people's conversations...!" said Hakurei Miko as she sighed.

"Ahahahaha .." while Lafka just laughed.

Lafka then again looked up at the sky and moved his right hand before. It's as if he was following a path across the sky until finally his hand pointed at somewhere around the shrine grounds.

"Right there." he said confidently.

"Huh? Isn't that place..?" said Hakurei Miko with great astonishment.


End file.
